"River/ Water"

From its pristine sources in the Canadian Rockies to its final destination in Lake Winnipeg, the water that flows through Medicine Hat in the South Saskatchewan River provides not only a unique ecosystem for the prairie but sustains our communities physically and creatively. The exhibition River/Water features contemporary and historical works inspired by water from the Esplanade Art Collection, the Glenbow Museum and the Mendel Art Gallery, along with paintings, video and installation works by a range of prairie artists. Incorporated into the exhibition are regional historical photographs spanning over 130 years from the Esplanade Archives, including a striking large-scale City and river panorama, and images of several past ‘century’ floods like this year’s, which bring to vivid life the river’s place in our human history. River/Water illuminates the South Saskatchewan River’s many changes through the seasons and the decades, and how it has nurtured people’s hearts and minds and the growth of prairie river communities like Medicine Hat.